


Helpless

by allfordean



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Gen, kid!Dean
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-30
Updated: 2013-12-30
Packaged: 2018-01-06 17:21:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 9,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1109496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allfordean/pseuds/allfordean
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean wakes up as a frightened, six-year-old child, and Sam has to take care of him. Cas may be able to help.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This one was written shortly after Goodbye Stranger. It doesn't really align with the canon storyline from that point on, but this is fanfiction so who gives a shit.
> 
> There isn't really any slash in this fic, but at the end there's some implied Destiel. (Of course Dean is not still a child, I'm not a creep.)
> 
> This is the first fic I'm putting on AO3. So glad I finally got one! Enjoy. :)

It was the middle of the night when Sam heard it. His brother's cry woke him from sleep and he sat up in his bed, ready to leap out and attack any threats present in the motel room. "Dean? You okay?"

A sniffle. "I miss Castiel."

This was not only shocking in the sense that Sam knew his older brother would never admit that aloud, but also that his older brother was sounding more like his _younger_ brother. "What?" Maybe he'd heard wrong.

"When's Cas coming back?" came the whimper.

"What the hell?" Sam muttered as he flicked the lamp on and moved to Dean's bedside. He was greeted with the sight of a small blonde boy, green eyes blurry as tears streamed down his flushed pink cheeks. The child was crying as he sat and rocked back and forth on the bed in effort to comfort himself. He was swimming in the black t-shirt and boxers that Dean had gone to bed in just hours before. Sam gaped a moment before shaking his head and lowering his voice in hopes of soothing the child. "Dean?" he asked hesitantly. A pair of worried green eyes met his and Sam stood in shock as he looked down at the boy. "How... how old are you?"

"S-six," Dean replied. "B-but... I'm s'posed to be bigger than you, Sammy."

Sam, somewhat relieved that his brother at least knew who he was, asked Dean what happened.

"I don't know. I woke up and I'm small. I'm scared, Sammy. Something's not right and I know it."

 _That's an understatement_ , thought Sam.

"I want Cas, he can fix it."

Panic rose within the hunter as Sam realized he hadn't the slightest idea how his older brother had suddenly become his younger brother.

"When's Cas coming back, Sammy?"

Sam's heart sank. "He's been gone for a while, remember, Dean?" He tried to sound comforting, despite his alarm at waking up to find a six-year-old Dean, he tried to make Dean feel like he, as the adult, knew exactly what was going on and wasn't afraid. But he _was_ afraid; they didn't have time for this, there was still another trial to get through. He knew that Dean was right, their angel friend could probably help them in this situation. Whatever the hell this situation was. "He left, with the angel tablet. We don't know where he is."

Dean's lower lip quivered as he nodded in remembrance, his tiny hand lifting to rub his tired, worried eyes. "I know."

The way the six-year-old kid sounded like there was no hope left in him had Sam desperately searching for a way to reassure the child, as he knew Dean did for him when he was younger. Hell, Sam _himself_ needed some reassurance right now. "Hey, we can pray to him," he finally suggested. "You wanna do that?" Dean nodded as Sam moved to sit beside him, wrapping an arm around the shaking child. "Okay. Dear Castiel... it's Sam, and, uh, Dean. I don't know where you are, but I'm sure you can hear us. We need your help." He paused to look at his brother, who had folded his hands in his lap and bowed his head as if they were saying grace over a meal. "Dean's got a... problem, and we don't know what to do about it."

Dean nodded. "I'm s'posed to be big but I woke up small. And it's scary, Cas. I need you, please."

Hearing little Dean mutter the truth of the situation made it all the more real to Sam, and as his smaller older brother ended his prayer with "please come home, Cas", the formerly younger Winchester realized he was now repsonsible for a frightened, helpless six-year-old child.

And he was used to _Dean_ taking care of _him_.


	2. Chapter 2

Getting Dean back to bed wasn't as difficult as Sam had feared it would be. The poor kid was exhausted and was asleep not even five minutes after finishing his prayer. Unfortunately for Sam, Dean didn't sleep long. About four hours later, at six in the morning, Dean woke up.

"Saaaammyyyy," Dean whined as he stood at the edge of his brother's bed, poking him in the face. "Wake up. I'm hungry. Sammy, feed me!"

Sam groaned. "Feed yourself, Dean, I'm not your maid." Sam's eyes flew open as soon as he heard his brother start to whimper. _Apparently, last night was_ not _a dream_ , he thought as he observed the whining, hungry little version of Dean and the mess he'd made of the motel room. It looked like he'd found Sam's bag and decided to empty its contents everywhere. Sam groaned as he rolled out of bed, mentally kicking himself as he took Dean's hand and led him into the mini-kitchen. "Sorry, I forgot," he mumbled as he opened the fridge, relieved that Dean hadn't fallen into a fit of tears after his earlier comment. "What do you want? We have cereal or waffles," he said, grateful that the motel supplied dishes and appliances. Waffles or cereal would be easy, and Sam needed as little stress as possible.

Dean peered into the fridge. "Pie."

Sam huffed, shaking his head. "You're not having leftover pie for breakfast, Dean. Cereal or waffles?"

"Pie!"

"Dean," Sam warned, fighting the urge to tap his foot on the ground like an impatient parent. He did not sign up for this.

"Sam," the child mimicked, then stomped his foot on the dirty kitchen tile. "Pie!"

* * *

After breakfast, Sam washed the cherry pie scraps off of Dean's plate while his brother sat on his bed and watched cartoons. "Get dressed, we need to retrace our steps from yesterday and figure out how this happened to you."

Dean remained still, breaking his attention away from the TV just long enough to shoot Sam a look that managed to make the now-older brother feel incredibly stupid.

"Right, sorry. Guess we're gonna have to do some clothes shopping first, huh?"

Dean nodded in silence, returning his attention to Looney Tunes.

"I guess you'll just have to wear that t-shirt to the store and change as soon as we buy some new clothes." Sam put away the dishes and grabbed some of his scattered clothes off the floor as he headed to the bathroom. "I'm gonna get dressed real quick, okay?"

Dean muttered something like "not fair" before Sam could close the door.

"Huh?"

"It's not fair, I have to go and people see me in a big stupid shirt and you get to be dressed nice."

"Well, I'm sorry, Dean, but what can I do about it?"

" _You_ dress stupid, _too_ ," Dean demanded, pointing at his brother.

Sam smirked. "Nice try, kid. You got pie for breakfast, I'm not gonna go out looking like an idiot to make you feel better."

Dean groaned and laid back on his bed while Sam dressed in the bathroom.

* * *

Dean put up a small fight about leaving the TV, but Sam got them out the door shortly.

"I wanna drive." It was like instinct to Dean, he was supposed to be driving the Impala.

Sam chuckled. "Funny. No. Get in the back seat," he ordered as he opened the door for his pouting brother.

"Bitch."

"Hey! Watch your mouth, Dean!" Sam shook his head. It figured that if some things about Dean would still come out when he was transformed into a child, cursing would be one of them.

"Sorry," Dean muttered as Sam buckled him in.

"Just behave, Dean. We need to work together to figure this out, so we can get back to hunting and the last trial, okay?"

"Okay."

Sam shut the door and walked to the other side of the car. "Jerk," he said with a smirk before he got in the car and drove to the nearest department store in silence.

* * *

Dean must have been more tired than Sam had thought; he was asleep when Sam pulled in to the parking lot. "Up, Dean," Sam said as he unclicked his brother's seatbelt. "We gotta get you some clothes."

Dean's eyes blinked open slowly. He shook his head, stretching his once-fitting t-shirt over his knees."I don't wanna go in there in this."

Sam smiled softly as he picked Dean up. "Sorry, buddy, you kinda have to. C'mon." He shut and locked the car and carried Dean into the store, placing him in a cart since Dean was convinced it would make his attire less noticeable.

"Okay, you want shorts and a t-shirt?" Sam lifted a pair of blue jean shorts off a rack and put them in the cart as Dean nodded, tossing in some longer jeans as well.

"Batman."

Sam looked to where his brother was pointing excitedly. The classic Batman logo on a black t-shirt. Sam smiled as he tossed the shirt in the cart and grabbed a few basic tees as well. He didn't know how long Dean would be stuck like this, but he thought it was better to be safe than sorry. "Okay," he said as he tossed some underwear and socks into the cart, "we just need to get you some shoes and we'll be done."

Dean shook his head. "Toy."

"No."

"Toy!"

"No, Dean, we don't have time. I'm feeling like crap as it is and we need to focus on-"

" _TOY_!"

Sam's eyes widened at his brother's brattiness, and he tried to ignore the sudden attention he was getting from other shoppers. There's no way in hell he's getting away with that, Sam decided. "Dean, you need to respect that I am an adult and that I'm older than you. We're not getting a toy today. Now be quiet and pick out some shoes."

"But I'm older than you!"

A woman passed by with her toddler, shaking her head and offering Sam a sympathetic smile.

 _Oh, you think you understand_ , Sam wanted to say, _but you've no idea_. "Not today, you're not," Sam corrected quietly. "Now hush or I'll have to punish you." He hoped that would work because, frankly, Sam had no idea how to appropriately discipline a child, and he didn't want to have to figure it out in public with an increasing audience of shoppers standing by.

"I'll scream."

Sam was baffled. He'd always thought Dean was an obedient child, doing whatever their dad told him to. _Guess every kid has their bad days_ , Sam figured. "Or, you could obey and pick out some shoes," he offered hopefully.

Dean shook his head stubbornly, folding his arms over his chest.

"Fine, then, _I'll_ pick them out." Sam turned to the girl's shelf and picked up a pair of little red shoes and dangled them in his brother's face.

"No!" Dean whined, tearing up merely at the thought of being forced to wear the sparkly flats.

"Then pick out some shoes and let's go."

With a pouting Dean, two pairs of pants, four shirts, and a pair of brown children's hiking boots in the cart, Sam was relieved to finally head to the register and get the hell out of that store. Forever. He was all for the domestic, "normal" life, but this experience with Dean had him convinced he'd never be shopping with the family. _Who am I kidding,_ Dean's _my family and he's all I've got right now_ , Sam reminded himself. He was determined to keep it together for his brother. But he was really hoping they'd figure all this out soon. He was feeling a bit better after moving closer to starting the third trial, but if he had to deal with six-year-old Dean for more than a day...

"Where are you, Cas?" Sam muttered under his breath as he carried the bags and Dean back to the Impala.


	3. Chapter 3

The boys returned to the motel to drop off Dean's clothes, and the Batman action figure that Sam bought when the kid wasn't looking. He figured if Dean's attitude improved, he'd reward him. Or, if Dean started acting up again, maybe he could use it as leverage. _I have no idea what I'm doing_ , Sam thought hopelessly to himself.

"Cas was here."

Sam looked up from where he'd been stashing the toy in his duffel bag. "Huh?"

Dean was pointing at the angel's weathered trenchcoat that lay on his bed. "Cas was here."

"I'm still here, actually," the angel said as he emerged from the bathroom, wiping his hands and face with a towel. He walked over to the beaming child's side, his head tilted slightly as he analyzed the little green eyed boy. "Dean? You... this is your problem?" he managed to say as Dean wrapped his arms around Castiel's leg and clung to him tightly, nearly causing the startled angel to lose his balance.

Dean nodded. "But you can fix it," he said with certainty. He looked up at his now much taller friend's worried face before allowing his lip to quiver ever so slightly. "You can fix me, right Cas?"

Sam didn't fail to catch that little lip quiver, and met Castiel's shamed eyes sadly as he observed the state of their friend. His white dress shirt was spotted with what Sam presumed to be blood stains, probably Castiel's own, and the angel had looked like he'd just finished cleaning some unhealed wounds when he'd exited the bathroom just moments ago. Sam hoped their friend wasn't in any serious trouble; he knew he'd been on the run from heaven. Had they caught him? He sucked in a deep breath as he waited for the angel to answer.

"I... I'm sorry, Dean. I can't." Castiel looked anywhere but down at Dean's big, green, and now hopeless eyes.

"B-but... you can do anything!" Dean started to cry, grasping Castiel's leg even tighter. "You can do it, Cas." He looked at the ground, which was much closer to him than he knew it should be, causing him to cry deeper. "You're my hero, Cas. You _gotta_ do it," he said in a broken whisper.

Castiel looked at a concerned Sam as he sighed sadly. The angel's face held an expression that revealed the mix of guilt and panic he was feeling as he detached the child from his leg and crouched down in front of him. "I'm sorry, Dean. I was... beaten and tortured by-" He paused his explanation, glancing up at Sam as if to make sure he was speaking to the child correctly. By the way he shook his head slowly, Sam seemed to be suggesting that he shouldn't go into detail in present company. Cas turned back to the silently crying child. "I was hurt pretty badly, and my powers have been weakened."

Little Dean's concerned eyes widened as he looked at the angel's solemn face, which was still marked with a few little deep red cuts from a knife. "You need a band-aid?" He moved too quickly for Castiel to respond, scampering over to where he knew Sam kept some first aid materials, and retrieved a box of bandages. "Here," Dean chirped as he handed the confused angel the package. After a few seconds of Cas staring at the box inquisitively, Dean sighed, shaking his head dramatically as he pulled a bandage out and opened it. Sam grinned as the child stuck the bandage on the angel's cheek. "There. All better."

Castiel couldn't keep himself from smiling lightly, nodding as he stood and uttered a "thank you".

"So," Sam finally said as Cas picked Dean up and set him on the edge of his bed, "when do you think you'll be at full power again?"

"I'm not certain, but I will help in any way I can until then." Cas looked down at Dean, who had taken his trenchcoat and was holding it out to him. The angel took it, an analytical frown on his face before he turned back to Sam. "He seems to be functioning well, at least."

Sam smirked. "Yeah, complete with the occasional meltdown. Hey, are you sure you're gonna, uh, be okay here?"

Cas stared at Sam a moment before nodding in understanding. "They're done with me, at least for now. I refused to show them the location of the angel tablet, under," he lowered his voice, "under even the most unbearable torture." Looking at Dean out of the corner of his eye, Castiel smiled in an attempt to put the concerned child at ease. "I'll be fine, for now. I just need time to heal."

A few minutes later and Sam had convinced Castiel to stay and watch Dean while he went out and retraced their steps from the day before. If Cas couldn't angel mojo his brother back to normal, it looked like Sam was gonna have to figure this one out alone. And he suspected that a certain woman Dean had been ignoring at a bar the day before may have been upset with him and... _could she have been a witch?_

"I'll be back in time for dinner. In fact, I'll probably just bring it home, so just... watch him 'til then." Sam squinted and looked between the angel and his brother with hesitance. "Can you, uh, handle that?"

Castiel looked down at Dean, who was holding the belt of his trenchcoat as he stood beside the angel. He seemed content enough, Cas was sure he could keep the child entertained for a few hours. He'd taken on unthinkable creatures over thousands of years, he could handle this. "Yes, I'll watch over him."


	4. Chapter 4

As soon as Sam shut the door, Dean tugged on Castiel's trenchcoat. "Cas," he whispered. "Cas, I need my new clothes."

Castiel drew his eyebrows together, then, seeing the bag on Sam's bed, nodded, and pulled out the Batman t-shirt, the package of underwear, and a pair of jeans. Dean had a little trouble opening the package and removing tags, but he insisted on doing it himself. Cas sighed as he stepped back and allowed the child to dress himself.

"C'mon, Cas, let's play!" After getting dressed, Dean scurried over to his bed and pulled the rumpled sheet off, attempting to fold it in half before sighing and forcing it into Castiel's hands. "You gotta make it into a cape."

"A cape?" Cas repeated as Dean reached for his pillow and began to work the pillowcase off.

"Uh-huh. You get one, and I get one. 'Cause we're superheroes."

"I see." Castiel frowned at the white sheet in his hands, turning it over as if searching for something. He looked down at Dean and took note of the way the child had fastened his pillowcase around his shirt.

"Put it on your coat, Cas," Dean instructed, pointing at the back of the angel's trenchcoat. Castiel stood dumbfounded for a moment before Dean sighed and climbed onto the bed, standing to be almost level with the angel. "C'mere." Cas stepped up to the edge of the bed, turning his back to Dean as the shrunken hunter signaled for him to do, and Dean proceeded to tuck the sheet into the angel's coat. When he was satisfied with his work, he grinned and patted his friend on the back. "Okay, now we're ready to play superheroes."

"I don't know how to do that."

Dean gaped at Castiel a moment before shaking his head. "It's easy, Cas. You and me fight the bad guys. With our superpowers. And we save people."

"There are no bad guys here in this motel room, Dean. Or anyone who needs saving. And my powers have been weakened, while you don't have any at all." Cas paused to examine the sheet that hung from his back. "And I've absolutely no idea what good this is supposed to do."

If Dean was surprised by the angel's lack of understanding, he didn't show it. Instead, he shook his head and jumped down from the bed. "We pretend, Cas. It's fun."

"I don't understand."

Sighing, Dean gave up on playing for the moment. "Let's just watch TV for now, then."

Cas felt a little bad for not knowing how to "play pretend" with the kid, but he didn't stop Dean from picking up the remote and settling on watching some more Looney Tunes. If Castiel were totally honest, he'd admit he quite liked that show, even if the Winchesters couldn't see the supernatural parallels that he knew were so clear.

After about 2 hours of cartoons, Dean fell asleep. He'd crawled into Castiel's lap while the angel was chuckling over the misadventures of the coyote and the road runner and blinked into sleep not 5 minutes later. Cas was taken aback by the child's actions but made no move to wake Dean or shove him off of him. He looked curiously at the little hunter as he cocked his head and listened to Dean's rhythymic breathing. Sam burst through the door about 15 minutes later, waking Dean and startling Castiel, who had nearly fallen asleep himself.

"I brought pizza," Sam announced. "Who wants pizza? Dean?"

Dean sat up quickly, jumping off the bed and running to his brother's side. "Me! Me! Me!"

Castiel stood, disoriented as he blinked slowly and rubbed the side of his head.

Sam frowned at the angel as he set the box of pizza on the table. "You okay, Cas?"

Dean turned around and watched his friend stumble backwards and nearly fall on the bed. "Castiel?"

"I'm... fine," Cas decided. "My condition is not improving, however."

"Maybe you need some sleep," Sam suggested.

"Or pizza." Dean opened the box before Sam could stop him, taking a slice of cheese pizza and handing it to Cas. "Pizza is awesome."

Castiel inspected the savory pie before looking to Sam inquisitively.

"I don't know, you could be hungry, too," Sam said.

Dean took a slice for himself as he watched Castiel begin to eat, then encouraged the angel to sit down. "C'mon, Cas. You gotta eat at the table."

"Dean, Castiel is a grown... angel, he can eat wherever he wants." Sam held up a hand before his brother tried to get up. "You, on the other hand, need to stay seated."

"But-"

"You're too little to be walking around while you eat, I don't want you making a mess that I don't have time to clean up."

Dean resolved to eat in silence, pouting at his loss of rights.

"Did you find anything?" Castiel inquired after he'd finished eating.

Sam nodded. "There was this woman that was checking him out last night, and Dean completely ignored her. Wasn't interested, I guess."

Dean tilted his head confusedly. "Checking me out?"

Sam closed his eyes in frustration. Sure, the normal Dean knew all about the world and how... women and such, worked. But Sam had to keep in mind that this was _not_ normal Dean, and he was intent on preserving the child's innocence for as long as his brother remained six years old. "Never mind, Dean, focus on your food," he said, encouraging the kid to finish eating so he could go back to watching TV and stay out of the adult world.

"So this... woman," Cas began, speaking slowly either because of his exhaustion or because he was working things out in his mind, "she was getting revenge? Are you assuming she's a witch?"

"Oh, I _know_ she is. I found out more about her from the bartender; it adds up. But he said she was planning on leaving town early this morning. She's gone, Cas. And I'm sure that whatever she did can be reversed, I just don't know what exactly it is that she did, so I can't do much about it."

Castiel looked down, ashamed. "If I had my full power, I could fix it."

Sam sighed. "Well, all you can do is get some rest and see how you are tomorrow." He turned to Dean, who was sitting on his bed watching cartoons. "Bedtime, Dean."

"No." Dean shook his head stubbornly.

"C'mon, Dean-"

"I don't wanna sleep."

 

"Dean," Sam warned, "don't make me-"

"Dean, why don't you want to sleep?" Castiel interrupted.

Little Dean's bottom lip began to quiver as he looked up at Cas. "I'm afraid of the monsters."

Sam exchanged understanding glances with Castiel, who walked to Dean's bedside. "I'll watch over you, Dean. Nothing will harm you."

Sam nodded. "You're safe with us, Dean."

Dean shook his head. "You're sick, Cas. You can't do angel things and save me. And Sammy, you're not doing good either, you have to sleep." Sinking back into his bed solemnly, Dean folded his arms across his chest. "We all have to sleep, and none of us is safe while we're sleeping. I can't sleep, Sammy."

Castiel looked at Sam a moment before sitting on the edge of Dean's bed. "I'll stay right here, next to you while you sleep. Would that be better, Dean?"

Dean sniffled and nodded slowly. "I dunno. I guess."

Sam smiled at his brother and the angel, who had already lied down beside the child. "Alright, then, goodnight, guys. I'm gonna stay up and do a bit more research."

With Dean still in his day clothes, Sam realized a few minutes later that his brother should change. But as he observed his brother's bed he saw that the child had fallen asleep next to their friend. Castiel seemed to have drifted off as well, yet still maintained the illusion that he'd be ready to defend the boys if anything were to threaten them. Sam smiled to himself as he turned out the light, and hoped that everything would come together in the morning.


	5. Chapter 5

"Sammy."

Sam awoke to a whimpering young Dean at his bedside.

"Sammy, Cas is gone."

Holding his throbbing head as he sat up too quickly, Sam hoped this meant that Castiel was taking care of Dean's little issue. His head felt like Thor had gotten pissed at him and whacked him in the skull with Mjolnir. And his back, well, he knew he wouldn't be doing any running that day. "I'm sure he's fine, Dean. He'll be back."

Dean shook his head as he looked at the floor, his little lips suggesting that he may begin to cry if the angel didn't return soon. "He left me again."

Sam slowly got out of bed and walked Dean into the kitchen, sitting him at the table as he assured him that, "Cas will be back this time." "

I'm scared. He always goes away and then something bad happens to him."

"He'll be back soon, Dean," Sam stated, sending a silent prayer to the angel in hopes he'd return sooner. _Where are you, Cas?_

"I apologize."

Sam and Dean turned in unison to find their feathered friend standing by the door.

"I would have returned sooner, but I wanted to take care of something first."

Dean ran over to Castiel's side, any hint of tears now concealed by the grin on the child's face. "Where'd you go?"

Cas looked down at the child who'd latched on to him and hesitantly patted the top of his head, then looked up at Sam. "I woke earlier this morning and felt much better, so I left to search for the witch. You're right, Sam, she was angry with Dean."

"You talked to her?"

Castiel nodded. "I found her a few states away, she'd driven all night and day because she soon realized who you were and feared revenge."

"How'd she take your showing up?"

Castiel placed his hands over Dean's little ears, earning a confused huff from the little boy and an amused smirk from his brother. "First, she attempted to seduce me. When she realized I wasn't at all what I appeared to be, she used her witchcraft to try to attack me. But I killed her. She's gone now."

"You killed her?!" Dean squeaked.

Cas frowned down at the child. "You weren't supposed to be able to hear that."

Sam chuckled. "Well, you weren't exactly whispering, Castiel."

"But if she's dead," Dean said, "how are you gonna get her to make me big again?"

Cas looked down at the big pair of hopeful yet worried green eyes as he placed a hand on Dean's shoulder. "I will be completely healed soon, I'll be able to fix you then."

Sam looked at the angel as he walked to his duffel bag. "So, we can head back home?"

Castiel narrowed his eyes as Dean nodded eagerly and rushed to his bag of clothes. "Home? Where is 'home'?"

"The Batcave!" Dean chirped.

Sam chuckled. "It's a Men of Letters bunker in Kansas, we've kinda officially moved in." Castiel frowned, looking at Sam with hesitance. "It's safe. Safer than here," the taller Winchester assured him.

"Good," Cas said with a single nod. He smiled down at a beaming Dean as he took the child's hand. "Let's go home."


	6. Chapter 6

Sam had no idea that the seven hour drive back to the bunker would be as exhausting as it turned out to be. Though he could have flown there in a heartbeat, Cas tagged along for the ride because Dean didn't want the angel to leave his side, and, deep down, Sam knew his brother had trouble trusting the angel and would be upset to learn later that he'd been alone in their "Batcave" for hours.

Sam's headache worsened throughout the day. Dean's constant singing didn't help.

"Dean. Enough," Sam snapped through gritted teeth after 15 minutes of what could have been the Chipmunk version of "Ramble On", which, unfortunately for Sam- and Cas, though he didn't show it- Dean had managed to remember.

The child made eye contact with his brother in the rearview mirror. "Ramble on..." he sang quietly, still looking at Sam, who clenched his fists on the wheel.

"Dean," Sam warned.

"...sing my song..."

"Dean!"

"He's testing you, Sam," Castiel informed. "I've heard it is common for a child his age."

"Yeah, I'm aware of that, Cas."

Dean frowned up at Castiel, who sat beside him in the back seat. "I'm not testing, I'm singing."

Castiel shook his head. "You are testing your brother, Dean. I'm certain of it. It's something you like to do even in your adult state, I've observed."

Dean crossed his arms. "I'm singing," he defended himself.

"You're testing Sam, and he's asked you to stop. I hope you will be obedient and do as he requested."

"I'm just singing, Cas!"

"Dean, you-"

"Singing!"

Castiel frowned, shaking his head as he turned to look out the window.

Dean kicked the back of Sam's seat stubbornly and looked out his window.

With an exasperated huff, Sam rolled his eyes. "Would you two, please, just-" The searing pain in his head cut him off as he swerved to the side of the road.

"Sam?" Castiel was in the passenger seat in a flash, leaning closer to the hunter, who had stopped the car and put his hands on his head. "Sam?"

"Sammy?" Dean whispered from the back, leaning forward as far as his seatbelt would let him.

"I... I can't drive anymore, Cas. I don't trust myself to get us there safely."

Castiel nodded. "I'll drive."

Dean looked at the angel and cocked his head. "You can drive, Cas?"

"I'll learn."

Sam's eyes squinted open as he groaned hopelessly. "Cas, maybe we should just wait til it goes away."

"You don't know if it will anytime soon, and we can't stay here long."

"It's a back road, no one will even notice," Sam said quietly.

Cas looked at Dean hesitantly. "I can...teleport you both back."

Dean's eyes widened. "And leave my baby here?" he asked incredulously.

Sam let out a light chuckle as he shook his head. "Good luck with that, Cas."

Dean was glaring at the angel, who widened his eyes.

"Never mind. I suppose... I will have to drive, then."

"I can't really show you how, right now, Castiel, I need to-"

"I'll teach him!" Dean unbuckled his seatbelt and opened his door, walking to the passenger side before Sam could tell him "no". Sam didn't tell him "no" even as Dean opened the passenger side door and urged Cas to get out, because the hunter was unconscious soon after.

"I guess you'll _have_ to teach me, now," Cas said as he placed Sam in the back seat carefully.

Dean nodded. "I remember. I just can't reach it."

Castiel got in the driver's seat and buckled in as Dean did the same.

"Okay. Use that stick thing to make the car go in drive," Dean instructed. "But keep your foot on the brake. That big steppy thing there."

Castiel got it on the first try. _This will not be difficult_ , he assured himself. "Now what?" he asked, looking at the road with determined concentration.

"Hold the wheel and put your foot on the smaller one, to go forward." The car rolled forward as Castiel lifted his foot off the brake and accelerated all too quickly when he stepped on the gas. "Dean!"

"Slow down, Cas! Make the car go straight."

"It's difficult to turn," the angel complained in monotone. "It goes too far, too quickly."

Dean sighed. "Pull over." Cas obeyed, having no trouble putting the car in park again. "I'm gonna have to steer."

"Dean, I don't think-"

"Nope," the little hunter said dismissively as he unclicked his seatbelt and crawled into Castiel's lap. "I have to do it 'cause you can't. You might get us killed." He paused to turn his neck a bit and look the angel in the eye. "And I don't wanna die, Cas. I'm too young to die."

The angel did his inexperienced version of rolling his eyes, letting out an annoyed and slightly offended sigh as he re-fastened their seatbelt and put the car in drive once more.

"How much longer do we have to drive?" Dean asked as he steered perfectly.

Cas didn't know whether to be surprised or simply relieved. He looked contemplative for a moment before answering. "Two and a half hours. Sam said it was two hours about 15 miles ago. But he was going faster than the speed limit, and I want to-"

"Go faster, Cas," Dean interrupted. "No one cares out here. We can go faster."

"I'm not sure you should-"

"C'mon, Cas!" Dean pushed on the angel's right knee, causing him to push harder on the gas pedal.

"Dean!"

"I wanna get home before it's dark."

Cas glanced at the clock. 4:47. "Alright, Dean." He accelerated about 8 miles over the posted speed.

"Do you need to use the restroom, Dean?" the angel asked after an hour.

"Nope. I'm okay," the child chirped, focusing intently on the road.

Cas sighed. "I know that a child's bladder is weaker than an adult's, and I don't want you to urinate on-"

"I don't have to go pee, Cas!" Dean said frustratedly.

"Very well."

"How much longer now?"

"We could be there in 45 minutes if you know where you're going."

"I remember, Cas, I can do it."

"Children are-"

"I'm not stupid!"

Castiel frowned. "I... I wasn't going to say you were stupid."

"Good. 'Cause I'm not."

Sam stirred at Dean's increased volume. "Where... Dean?!"

Dean kept his eyes on the road. Castiel turned to look at the wincing hunter... Oh, Sam was livid.

"Castiel. You let my _six-year-old brother_ drive."

"Are you asking me because you're so unwell that you can't tell, or are you trying to express your anger through a rhetorical question?"

" _YOU LET MY 6 YEAR OLD BROTHER DRIVE THE CAR!_ "

"I think he's angry, Cas," Dean informed, still maintaining focus on the road.

Sam sat up. "How long has he been driving?"

"A little over an hour."

"I'm just steering. Cas is doing the pedals."

"Yeah, I'm not real comforted by that, Dean." Sam rubbed his head, peering out the window. "Well, at least you're going the right way," he mumbled. "I can drive now. I think."

"We only have like 45 more minutes Sammy, just let me do it. I can do it!"

Sam looked warily at his brother, who, he reasoned, seemed to have done a good job so far. "I... I dunno." Sam winced as his head pounded a bit more. "Fine. I guess."

About half an hour later, they were parked outside the bunker.

"You did good, Cas." Dean patted the angel on the back as he got out of the car. Castiel helped Sam inside, carrying Dean and Sam's things as they entered the bunker.


	7. Chapter 7

"Home!" Dean cheered as he took his clothes and ran to his room.

"Dean!" Sam shouted, and immediately regretted it as he winced in pain.

Cas led him to his room and, once he was sure the hunter wouldn't collapse on the floor, started after Dean. "I'll take care of him, Sam. You should rest." He closed the door on his way out. "Dean?"

"I'm in my room."

Castiel followed the child's voice, stopping once he entered the bedroom.

Dean grinned up at him. "I have a room now," he said as he closed the dresser drawer he'd been stuffing his clothes into.

The angel wasn't quite sure how to respond to that, but he knew the child seemed very proud of the fact. "It's nice, Dean."

Dean looked around his room, nodding in satisfaction. "Yep. I picked the best one," he smirked, walking to his bed. "The bed is all squishy." He crawled up onto the bed and started jumping. "And it...bounces...really...good!"

Castiel couldn't keep from smiling at the joyful child. "I congratulate you, Dean."

"Thanks," Dean said as he jumped off the bed and ran into the hall.

Cas turned to follow. "Dean-"

"I'm hungry," the child said as he scurried off to the kitchen. "Do you know how to make burgers, Cas?"

"I've never tried. Don't you know how?"

"I can't remember."

Castiel looked at the child skeptically. "But you remembered how to drive...?"

Dean shrugged. "I just can't remember."

Castiel suspected that Dean simply wanted to be catered to, but the angel allowed him to play in his room while he attempted to cook up some burgers. He wasn't inexperienced in cooking. He had, after all, made the boys a ham sandwich from scratch a few years before. Castiel sighed as he recalled his journey with the Winchesters. After all they'd been through... He'd been fearing that Dean would be upset with him after leaving again. But, with the hunter being a child, everything seemed fine between them.

"Dean," Castiel began as he set a slightly but not too burnt burger in front of the child.

"Huh?"

Castiel sat across from the child. "Are you upset with me?"

Dean cocked his head, his lips pulling down into a frown. "Why would I be upset with you?" He seemed troubled by the question, ignoring the burger in front of him while he waited for an answer.

Castiel looked away, setting his own burger on the table. "I left."

Dean looked down. "I know. And you didn't answer me when I prayed to you." Dean's lip quivered at the memory, nearly causing Castiel to tear up.

The angel had a hard enough time seeing Dean in pain when he was normal sized. This helpless, vulnerable, child version of the hunter had Castiel feeling more guilty than ever. "I'm sorry, Dean."

"I... I know. I know."

Cas waited in silence before Dean spoke again.

"I don't like it when you leave me, Cas. It makes me feel bad." He began to whimper, and Castiel knew the child wouldn't be able to hold back those tears much longer. "It makes me feel like you don't care enough to stay. Like...," Dean was crying now, "like you don't love me."

Cas was holding back tears as best as he could, overwhelmed with guilt. "I... I _do_ love you, Dean. You once told me we were family." Cas shook his head. "My own brothers and sisters in heaven don't really understand love, they don't... grasp human emotion. But you've taught me to feel, and, while it's led to my many mistakes, it's also brought me to love and care for you and your brother. Do you... understand?"

Dean rubbed his eyes and yawned, nodding. "I think so."

Castiel realized he'd gone a little too deep for the kid. This was definitely something to tell Dean in his normal state, though, he decided. "Are you tired?"

Dean nodded.

"Eat your burger, then you can go to sleep."

Nodding once more, Dean picked up his burger, and they ate the rest of the meal in silence.

"Are you still wary of sleeping, Dean?" Castiel was standing by Dean's bed as the child tucked himself in.

Dean nodded. "But I know we're safe here."

Castiel knit his eyebrows. "Then what are you afraid of?"

Dean looked down at his Avengers pajamas, and the angel detected that the child was both sad and perhaps even embarrassed. "I'm afraid you're gonna leave me again."

Castiel was becoming more and more aware of what it meant to have one's "heart sink", and he wasn't going to let it happen anymore, he decided. "I'll stay here."

Dean scooted over to make room for the angel.

"No, I don't need sleep anymore," Castiel informed, sitting at the edge of the bed. "I will wait here until you wake up."

Dean tilted his head, his blonde locks falling over part of his face as he sleepily rubbed his eyes. "Won't that be boring?"

Castiel smiled warmly. "I will be fine, Dean. You can sleep, I'll be here when you wake up."

"Promise?"

"I promise."


	8. Chapter 8

It was around seven in the morning when Castiel felt it. His power must have been restored enough for him to heal Dean of his... youth.

Dean woke only a few minutes later, beaming at the angel as he sat up in bed and yawned.

"I told you I would still be here, Dean."

"Yeah, well, it's easier to believe when I see it."

"I suppose that is typical of humans."

Dean crawled out of bed, his hair disorderly and his face stained with what Cas knew to be tears he had cried in his sleep. The angel had heard the boy reacting to a bad dream and woke him to reassure him that he was, in fact, still there, and looking out for him. Dean had slept peacefully after that. Castiel noted that he'd seen many parents fix their children's hair, so he reached out a hand and combed through Dean's disheveled locks.

"I can do it!" Dean whined, scurrying off to the bathroom to get dressed and do his hair independently.

Castiel sighed. Typical.

"Dean, I believe I can fix you now," the angel informed the boy and a barely functional Sam as they ate breakfast at the table.

Castiel had flown off to a local pancake house to bring back what Dean insisted he needed to eat that morning. He'd wanted to come with the angel, but Cas mumbled something about not wanting to impair Dean's digestive system and took off before he could complain. Luckily, he returned quickly as well, so Sam didn't have to witness a meltdown.

"You're sure?" Sam inquired. "I mean, it won't mess you up if you're wrong?"

Castiel nodded. "I'll be fine, Sam, thank you for your concern."

Sam smiled, nodding toward his brother. "And will it mess _him_ up if you're wrong?"

Dean looked up at Cas, who sat beside him but hadn't yet taken a bite of the pancakes the child had insisted he should try.

"Not to my knowledge."

"That's not exactly comforting, Cas."

Castiel looked from Sam to Dean, who shook his head.

"It's fine, Sam. I'll be fine. Cas can do it!"

Castiel's mouth twitched at one corner as he nodded to the hopeful child. "Thank you, Dean. Should I do it now?"

Dean nodded eagerly, shoving a bite of pancake into his mouth as if he wouldn't have a chance to eat after Cas worked his magic.

"Alright."

Castiel placed his fingers on the child's forehead, feeling a surge of power leave him as he did so. Dean made a few noises of discomfort, but his body showed no change as Cas moved his hand away.

Sam raised his eyebrows, leaning forward. "Dean?"

Dean looked down at his hands, brows furrowed as he turned them around and observed himself. "Crap."

Sam shot Cas a confused look, and the angel met his gaze with his own look of confusion.

"Dean? How are you feeling?" Castiel asked, placing a hand on the little hunter's shoulder.

Dean shrugged him off, his chair screeching across the floor as he stood quickly. "I'm feeling about 30 years too young, damn it!"

"Dean! Watch your mouth!" Sam frowned at his brother.

"I can say whatever the hell I want, for God's sake, Sam, I'm older than you!"

Dean's tone had Sam widening his eyes so much he thought they might fall out. "Dean? How old are you?"

"I'm _34_ , Sam! _Damn_ it!" he stomped on the ground, raising his arms in the air frustratedly as he turned to Castiel, whose complexion was getting paler by the second. "Cas, you did a pretty _crappy_ job of fixing me."

Sam looked to the angel, who seemed to be searching for answers to questions in his own mind. "Cas?"

Castiel looked at Dean sympathetically before facing his brother. "It would seem that I restored Dean's adult mind, but failed to change his physical form."

"Yeah, thanks a lot," Dean snapped bitterly. "Cas, if you're gonna ditch us and come back, at least try to be _helpful_ when you come back."

Sam glared at his brother. "Dean. Your room. Now. We need to talk."

"Like hell we do."

"I _will_ pick you up and carry you if I have to." Sam stood slowly from his chair, wincing as his head acted up again.

Dean grimaced at his brother's pain before stomping off to his room, Sam following close behind.

Castiel sat, silent in his chair, as he poked at his pancakes with a fork. "I'm sorry, Dean," he whispered sadly.


	9. Chapter 9

"What the hell was that?!" Sam scolded his brother as soon as they shut the door.

Dean crossed his arms, taking a seat on his bed with a huff. "What was what? You mean Cas failing again?"

"Damn it, Dean. He was trying to help."

Dean scoffed, rolling those young, big green eyes of his that weren't innocently childlike anymore. "He's always 'trying to help'."

Sam shot his brother an annoyed bitchface. "Well at least he's trying, Dean. At least he's _here_ , and trying."

Dean looked at the floor, hiding his hurt with a sarcastic laugh. "Yeah, well, maybe he should have just left us alone since he can't seem to do anything right."

"Stop being a child, Dean."

"Hey, I'm all for that, but some angel is having a bit of trouble fixing me."

"You were less childish when you had the mind of a six-year-old, Dean." Dean cocked his head, frowning as Sam huffed. "You at least knew to handle your emotions, rather than blow up on your best friend."

Dean stood and pointed angrily at the door. " _He_ is not my _friend_ , Sammy. _He_ abandoned me. _Several_ times." Sam looked sadly at Dean as he saw a small tear escape his brother's eye. "Friends don't do that, Sam. _Friends_ are there when you call. Friends... Friends prove that they love you through their actions."

Sam was barely able to detect his brother's last few sentences, as the too-small hunter had begun to whisper to himself, tears streaming freely down his face. Sam took a hesitant step forward, kneeling to his brother's current height and placing a firm hand on Dean's shoulder.

Dean let out a bitter, worn out chuckle as he wiped the tears from his eyes. "Damn this little helpless body."

Sam smirked, ruffling his brother's hair. "I dunno, I think it's adorable."

"Shut up." Dean tried to conceal his smile as his little fist punched Sam in the shoulder.

Sam huffed. "Jerk."

"Bitch."

"Don't you think you're a little young to be using that kind of language?"

Dean smirked, walking toward the door. "Good talk."

"Dean. Give Cas a break, yeah?"

Dean shrugged. "I'll be civil," he agreed. "But I don't forgive him. He's used up all his free passes."

Sam sighed as he followed his brother out the door and proceeded to the dining room to ask Cas what they were gonna do next regarding Dean's height, or lack thereof.

"Well _now_ where the hell is he?" Dean threw his hands in the air angrily as Sam observed the absence of angel in the room.

"Gee, I don't know, Dean, maybe you offended him."

Dean glared at his brother before sighing. "ALRIGHT, CAS, GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE. NOW."

"Yeah, that's a great way to go about it."

Dean ignored his brother's disappointed glare. "I need your help, damn it. As much as I hate to admit it, I need you."

"I don't really want you here," Sam translated, "but you can fix me so stop being a dick and get over here anyway."

Dean shrugged. "Pretty much."

With a huff, Sam sat down at the table, shaking his head. "And you expect that to bring him back after what you said?"

"He owes it to me. After all he's done? Yeah, he'd better know to get his ass over here, like, _now_."

Sam rolled his eyes, then widened them as he stared past Dean.

Dean turned around.

"I only left to get more food," Castiel said, an edge in his voice that made Dean certain he'd not only hurt but _annoyed_ the angel. "I thought it was best for me to do the shopping, being that Sam is sick and your body is now matching your emotional maturity."

Dean closed his eyes in regret after seeing just how much he'd upset the angel, who he _knew_ was just doing his best to help. _Damn it, Dean_ , he scolded himself, _hug the son of a bitch_. "You done bitching?" Castiel nodded firmly as he set bags on the table. "Good." Dean climbed on top of a chair to be closer to Castiel's height and wrapped his arms around him, pulling him as close as his little arms were capable of doing. "I'm sorry."

Castiel looked at Sam, who was just as taken aback by the hunter's actions as the angel he was now firmly hugging. Slowly, Castiel began to reciprocate the embrace, patting Dean's back softly as he heard the little hunter sniffle, resting his head against the angel's shoulder.

Sam took this as his exit cue and excused himself to his room.

"I'm sorry, Dean. I... I don't know what else to do."

Dean sighed. "I know you are."

"I mean, I'm sorry for _everything_ , Dean."

Dean smiled sadly against the angel's shoulder. "I know."

"Is there anything I can do to make things right?"

Pulling away, Dean began to step down from the chair. "Fix me."

Castiel looked down at him nervously. "I... tried. It didn't work. I'm afraid that-"

"Look, Cas, I'm sick of being fun-sized. Maybe you don't know what you're doing, but you're all I've got."

"You... want me to try again?"

Dean spread his arms with a smirk. "Hit me with your best shot."

Cas frowned. "I'm not hitting you, Dean. I don't know what you think that would accomplish."

Dean rolled his eyes, gesturing to his forehead. "I mean try again."

Castiel narrowed his eyes. "You could have just said so, rather than use phrases I don't understand."

With a twinkle in his eye, Dean grinned. "Where's the fun in that?"

Castiel sighed, stepping closer to Dean and crouching to his level. "I hope that this works."

"You and me both, Doc."


	10. Chapter 10

"Rise and shine, Sammy. Dinner time."

Sam groaned, turning away from the gruff voice that woke him from his sleep. Wait... "Dean?" Sam sat up to see his 34-year-old brother beaming at him. Castiel stood behind the hunter, smiling proudly. "You fixed him?"

Castiel nodded. "I tried a second time, after you went to your room a few hours ago. I was surprised that it worked, but Dean was very happy. He hugged me and then he-"

"Dinner, Sam! I made burgers."

Sam could've sworn he saw Dean elbow Castiel in the rib as his brother smiled and turned around, walking out the door before his face could get any more pink.

Castiel smiled sheepishly at Sam before helping him up and walking him to the kitchen table.

"Let me try something," the angel said as the taller hunter sat down. Before Sam could respond, Castiel placed his fingers on his head and the hunter instantly felt some relief from that throbbing headache.

"Cas, did you just-"

"It's only temporary, I'm afraid." Castiel looked down, wishing he could do more.

"Well, thanks. I mean, really! So, you're gonna stay with us now, right, Cas?"

Dean nodded firmly as Castiel walked to stand by his side. "He's not going anywhere without telling me first, that's the rule."

"Yes," Castiel confirmed. "Or _else_."

Sam quirked a brow. "Or else what?"

"Or else he'll throw a temper tantrum like the child that he is." Castiel actually laughed, and Sam laughed with him.

Dean rolled his eyes, setting Sam's plate in front of him. "I'll show you a temper tantrum if you don't shut up."

"I think we've seen enough of little upset Dean these past few days," Sam said.

"Aw come on, was I really that bad?"

Sam exchanged glances with Cas. "You don't remember?"

Dean shrugged. "Eh, it's like it was a dream. I remember driving the Impala." He smirked at Sam. "And our little shopping trip."

Sam tensed up just at the thought. "You were such a brat in that store, Dean."

"I'm beginning to wish I was there," Castiel said.

Dean shook his head, chuckling. "I didn't want to pick out shoes for some reason. I think I wanted a toy or something."

Sam stood suddenly. "Oh, that reminds me." He took off down the hall, earning amused stares from his brother and the angel. He returned a minute later with a bag in hand. "I got this for you. While we were there."

Dean took the bag from his brother's outstretched hand, raising one eyebrow suspiciously as he pulled out his gift. "Dude, if it's a diaper or someth-" Dean stopped as he held the Batman action figure in his hand, his heart suddenly pounding. His brother had bought him a toy, even after how bratty he knew he'd been in that store. "Sam..."

"Are you crying, Dean?" Castiel was looking at the hunter with no little amount of concern.

Dean chuckled, wiping a small tear from his eye. "Shut up. It's... leftover emotional crap from being a kid."

Sam huffed. "Right."

"Bitch."

"Jerk."


End file.
